Today in History - January 17

Al Capone, famous Chicago mobster, was born in Brooklyn in 1899. He was convicted of tax evasion in 1931 and was released from prison in 1938. Capone lived until 1947. Does anyone remember watching Geraldo Rivera's The Secrets of Al Capone's Vaults?

Muhammad Ali (Cassius Clay) was born in 1942. He won the heavyweight title from Sonny Liston in 1964. He also won titles in 1974 and 1978. Sport's Illustrated named him the Sportsman of the Century. He spent time in prison for refusal to be drafted. His most famous fights were the Rumble in the Jungle against George Foreman in 1974 and the Thrilla' in Manila against Joe Frazier in 1975.

In 1961, Dwight Eisenhower warned the nation of the future peril of the "military-industrial complex." His quote ..... "we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military–industrial complex." Eisenhower was giving hs farewell speech to the nation at the end of his second term.

Operation Desert Storm began today in 1991. I happened to be in a restaurant and when the television in the bar blared the announcement that the war had begun, many patrons rushed to watch. The war was fought in response to Iraq's invasion of Kuwait and turned into an operation involving 34 nations. Two years later, when the Iraq War began, this conflict became known as the Persian Gulf War or the First Iraq War. I also remember being sickened at the sight of Saddam Hussein setting fire toKuwaiti oil fields. CNN reports on the start of the war.

Larry Moskal began his career as a Social Studies teacher in 1971. He graduated from the University of Buffalo with degrees in history and education. Larry taught Social Studies for the Ken-Ton School system, a suburban school system north of Buffalo, New York until 2005, and then taught and was the Dean of Students at San Miguel High School in Tucson. At Ken-Ton, he pioneered several online courses for high school students. In the 1980s, he spent three years teaching in Colombia, South America and spent four years at Lewiston-Porter High School. He currently is the PowerSchool Administrator for San Miguel accomplishing his work over the Internet.